It now has read receipts, meaning you know when someone's got your message, and exactly how long it's taking them to reply. So you can start wondering exactly why they're taking their time. What could they possibly be doing that's more important than getting back to you?

Other features include the ability to text directly from the app for free, or start group conversations. Free push notifications mean you'll never miss a message, no matter how much you might want to, as they'll be delivered direct to your phone.

Instant messaging conversations and standard messages will be collated too, so you can see them as a seamless conversation whenever you log in.

You can also share your location and photos within the Messenger app. And it'll tell you when the other person is typing, just like most IM desktop apps, which gets a big smiley from me.

Facebook is preparing for its Initial Public Offering (IPO), with the company valued at between $85-95bn (£52-59bn). It's set to be the largest amount ever for an Internet company, outdoing even Google's $23bn in 2004. Founder Mark Zuckerberg is rumoured to be worth around $11bn. That should keep him in hoodies for a while.

It's anticipated that Facebook will start promoting the share offering on Monday. Shares are expected to start trading on 18 May, under the symbol 'FB'. The social network is eight years old now and has over 900 million users. It made a profit of $1bn last year.

About the author

Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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